The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-11-19
OYSTERS WITH BRAINS.
Remarkable Intelligence of the Bivalves
Growing Near New Orleans.

Remarkable Intelligence of the Blvalves
Growing Near New Orleans.
Frank G. Wheaton, who used to be a
politician in New Orleans, but is now
u handler of all sorts of patterns in this
city, tells the following story:
1--WE used to have some great oyster
suppers in New Orleans. The oysters
when was there were so big that q
dozen would do for supper for half q
dozen men. Some of the Bayou Cook
and Bayou Barrataria oysters were a
foot long. OF course they We're too
large to eat raw, but they made an eX-
cellent fry. The best oysters L ever
ate came from the edge of the Gulf of
Mexico, in the Mississippi Sound and
Lake Ponchartrain before the Bonne
Carre crcvasse sent the fresh water Of
the Mississippi river out into the lake
and destroyed the flavor Of the BIZ
valves. Do you know that raccoons
are exceedingly fond of oysters? Well,
they are.
Zone moonlight night l was stand
ing on the gallery of the lighthouse at
Cat Island, down near the Gulf A
party of us were on our way to Goose
Point to hunt brant and curlew, and
as we knew Sid Wilkinson, the light
house keeper, we stopped over at Cat
Island one evening. 1t was beauti-
full night, and, though it was in De-
cember, man scarcely felt the need
of an overcoat. The tide was at ebb
and Cat Island spit loomed up in the
moonlight like long, black strip of
mud running into the sound. This
spit, or promontory, was II mass OF
oysters, which spattercd and snapped
as they took in the atmosphere and
held social converse with each other.
You could walk out quarter of mile
over them without getting your feet
wet and eat all you wanted. That Is,
if you could open them, because just us
soon as the oyster would see you he'd
shut up his she'll with snap like the
breaking of twig. 1t was like walk
ing over dry brush the way those oys-
ters would snap at the approach of any
one.
'"Cat Island is full of 'coons," con-
tinued Mr.. Wheaton, taking fresh
start. elbow they got there l don't
know, as the island is twelve miles
from the nearest point of the main
land. l reckon they voyaged on logs.
Well, this night, while we were stand
ing on the gallery, we saw about a
dozen 'coons creep out ON the spit.
hunting for oysters. One old coon
sneaked up behind q big oyster that
had his she'll wide open and stuck his
paw in to get the succulent bivalve.
Quick rs flash the oyster clapped
down on him, and the coon yelled.
He'd been there before, though. and
began to tug at the oyster to get him
loose from the mud and sand, bat the
oyster was one of cluster and was
too deeply imbedded to be moved.
He hung to the coon like grim death,
and it looked as if the coon would be
kept a prisoner. We We're 50 inter
ested in the struggle we stayed to
watch it. The tidO turned, and ut four
o'clock in the manning all tae o.acr
'coons loft the beach as the watc- was
too high. 1t got higher and higher. lit
tie waves were curling over the spit.
and it looked "A though the coon
would be drowned. He made last
desperate effort to move the oyster and
then deliberately bit his paw off. He
left the end of it in the oyster and hob
bled off on three legs. Sid and ran
down, and, after search of half an
hour, found the spunky oyster as he
was trying to eject the 'coon's paw and
captured him. l reckon that Sid ha:
that 'coon-paw yet."-M Y. Evcaiay
Sass.